Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai

I went to a synagogue for the first time during my recent stay in Mumbai. I was staying in Colaba, and the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue in Kala Ghoda was only a short drive away.

The synagogue was built in 1884 by Jacob Sassoon, of the illustrious Sassoon family, in his father’s memory. The Sassoons came to India when Jacob Sassoon’s grandfather, David Sassoon, the treasurer of Baghdad in the early 19th century, fled here with his family to escape the persecution of Jews in Iraq under the Mamluk rulers. The family built several educational, charitable and religious institutions in Mumbai, of which I got to see the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room across the road from the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue. You can read more here.

David Sassoon Library and Reading Room

The synagogue is a sky blue building that is somewhat plain on the outside, but exquisite on the inside, with stained glass windows, ornate pillars and beautiful chandeliers. The lower floor is the men’s gallery, and the upper one is for the women.

You are required to enter your details in a visitors’ register and buy a ticket if you want to take photos inside. The synagogue is closed on Saturdays.